Search

BR-112019024070-B1 - MEDIA INGESTION AND DISTRIBUTION METHOD, MEDIA PACKAGING DEVICE, ORIGIN SERVER, TERMINAL NODE, AND CONTINUOUS MEDIA TRANSMISSION NETWORK

BR112019024070B1BR 112019024070 B1BR112019024070 B1BR 112019024070B1BR-112019024070-B1

Abstract

A media distribution system and method are described in which a streaming media network includes a media ingestion network portion configured to provide low-latency loading of media fragments from a segmented live streaming media stream using HTTP Cluster Transfer Encoding (CTE). In one embodiment, one or more fragments of a segment are loaded or otherwise ingested on a cluster-by-cluster basis before the entire segment's media data becomes available. An IP-based selective broadcast distribution network portion coupled to the media ingestion network portion is operational for distributing the clustered media data to one or more IP-based selective broadcast recipients using an IP-based selective broadcast protocol. A client application is operational for transferring the media data in an HTTP CTE distribution session with a service IP-based selective broadcast recipient.

Inventors

  • Thorsten Lohmar
  • MICHAEL JOHN SLSSINGAR

Assignees

  • TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

Dates

Publication Date
20260317
Application Date
20170516

Claims (17)

  1. 1. Media ingestion method executed by a media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906) and comprising: generating a segmented continuous media stream from an input continuous media stream, wherein each segment comprises a plurality of fragments, each fragment comprising one or more media data frames; the method being characterized by: identifying that the segmented continuous stream should be distributed using IP selective broadcasting and associating the segmented continuous stream with a particular IP selective broadcasting group; initiating (1002) a clustered transfer encoding, CTE, HTTP session between the media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906) and a source server node (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909); for each segment N, perform the following: begin ingestion (1026), via the CTE session, of the fragments (416-1... 416-N, 918-1 ... 918-N) of a segment N via the HTTP CTE session to the origin server node (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909) before the full media data for segment N is available, where one or more clusters are provided to transmit each fragment; and send (1028) a final cluster signal (452) to the origin server node 214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909) after all fragments (416-1 ... 416-N, 918-1 ... 918-N) of segment N have been transmitted.
  2. 2. Media ingestion method according to claim 1, characterized in that the ingestion comprises one of a push mechanism, a pull mechanism, particularly a triggered pull mechanism, or a hybrid mechanism, wherein the ingestion of fragments is initiated by the media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906) when a push mechanism is used and/or by the origin server node (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909) when a pull mechanism is used.
  3. 3. Media ingestion method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the continuous stream of live media is encoded as multiple adaptive bitrate (ABR) representations, each ABR representation being segmented and loaded to the CDN origin server using a corresponding HTTP CTE session.
  4. 4. Media ingestion method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it further comprises maintaining a persistent HTTP connection with the origin server node (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909) to perform the HTTP CTE session.
  5. 5. Media packaging device (202, 302, 402, 906), comprising: at least one network interface configured to receive continuous live media streams from one or more content sources; the media packaging device (202, 302, 402, 906) being configured to: - segment a received continuous live media stream into a plurality of segments, wherein each segment comprises a plurality of fragments, each fragment comprising one or more media data frames; characterized in that the media packaging device (202, 302, 402, 906) is configured to: - identify that the segmented continuous stream should be distributed using IP selective broadcasting and associate the segmented continuous stream with a particular IP selective broadcasting group; - initiate a clustered transfer encoding, CTE, HTTP session with an origin server node (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909);- for each segment N, start ingesting (1026) fragments (416-1 ... 416-N, 918-1 ... 918-N) of a segment N to the originating server node (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909) via the CTE session before the full media data for segment N is available, where one or more clusters are provided to transmit each fragment; and- send (1028) a final cluster signal (452) to the originating server node (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909) after all fragments (416-1 ... 416-N, 918-1 ... 918-N) of segment N have been transmitted.
  6. 6. Media packaging apparatus (202, 302, 402, 906) according to claim 5, characterized in that it is additionally configured to perform the method as defined in any one of claims 2 to 4.
  7. 7. Media distribution method executed by an origin server node (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909), characterized in that it comprises: receiving (1102) a message from a media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906) to start a clustered transfer encoding, CTE, HTTP session with the media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906), the message including an indication that media data from a live media stream will be ingested into the origin server node (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909); for each segment N of the live media stream: - receiving (1106) one or more HTTP headers from the media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906); - receiving (1108) one or more fragments of the segment, on a cluster-by-cluster basis via the HTTP CTE session, each cluster having a cluster boundary mark, wherein each fragment contains one or more media data frames and is received before the entirety of the media data for the segment is available at the media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906);- generate (1110) transport objects, particularly IP selective broadcast transport objects, for the received clusters and transmit the transport objects to a plurality of receivers; and- receive (1112) a final cluster signal (452) from the media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906) after all fragments of the segment have been ingested.
  8. 8. Media distribution method according to claim 7, characterized in that a fragment is received in one or more clusters and each cluster, or all clusters carrying parts of the same fragment, is/are transmitted as a transport object to one or more of the plurality of receivers, or each cluster is distributed over a plurality of transport objects.
  9. 9. A media distribution method according to any one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that it further comprises transmitting, prior to the reception of one or more fragments, an IP selective broadcast information message that includes one or more HTTP headers for the plurality of receivers, the IP selective broadcast information message further including a new indication of the start of the transport object.
  10. 10. A media distribution method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that it further comprises summing the sizes of all clusters, responsive to the last cluster signal, to generate an object size indication associated with the segment and signaling the object size indication to a plurality of receivers.
  11. 11. A method for distributing media according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that it further comprises receiving an indication, before receiving the fragments, of the number of clusters provided for transmission of each fragment.
  12. 12. A media distribution method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that it further comprises receiving a protocol indication from the media packaging node (202, 302, 402, 906) before receiving the fragments, the protocol indication specifying a particular IP selective broadcast protocol, particularly at least one of the following protocols: File Distribution via Unidirectional Transport, FLUTE, NACK-Oriented Selective Broadcast, NORM, and FCAST protocols, for distributing the media data to a plurality of edge selective broadcast receivers, wherein the particular IP selective broadcast protocol comprises the NORM protocol and the IP selective broadcast information message is generated as a NORM INFO message that includes one or more HTTP headers and a content location pointer associated with the segment, and - the NORM INFO message is generated only for the first fragment or cluster of the segment, or - the NORM INFO message is transmitted for each NORM Object, wherein at least the The NORM INFO message associated with a first cluster includes one or more HTTP headers, the content location pointer, and a cluster size, wherein the NORM INFO messages associated with subsequent clusters of the segment contain the content location pointer, the respective cluster size, and optionally a respective cluster offset and/or cluster index; or the NORM INFO message is transmitted for each NORM Object, wherein each NORM Object is or comprises a cluster, and wherein the NORM INFO message contains cluster information, in particular, a cluster index and/or a cluster offset.
  13. 13. Media distribution method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that the continuous stream of live media is encoded as multiple adaptive bitrate representations, ABR, each ABR representation being segmented and loaded from the media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906) using a corresponding HTTP CTE session.
  14. 14. Media distribution method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, characterized in that it further comprises maintaining a persistent HTTP connection with the media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906) to effect the HTTP CTE session.
  15. 15. Origin server (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909), characterized in that it comprises: a CTE, HTTP, CTE, and/or CTE encoding server and/or client; an IP-based selective broadcast broadcaster; the origin server (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909) being configured to perform the following operations: receive a message from a media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906) to initiate an HTTP CTE session with the media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906), the message including an indication that media data from a segmented live media stream is provided in a clustered distribution; for each segment N of the live media stream, receive one or more HTTP headers from the media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906); receive one or more fragments of the segment, on a cluster-by-cluster basis via the HTTP CTE session, each cluster having a cluster boundary tag, wherein each fragment contains one or more media data frames and It is received before the entirety of the media data for the segment is available at the media packer node; generate transport objects, particularly IP selective broadcast transport objects, for the received clusters and transmit the transport objects to a plurality of receivers; and receive a final cluster signal from the media packer node (202, 302, 402, 906) after all segment fragments have been ingested.
  16. 16. Origin server (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909) according to claim 15, characterized in that it is configured to operate according to a method as defined in any one of claims 8 to 14.
  17. 17. Continuous media streaming network, characterized in that it comprises: a media ingestion network portion configured to provide low-latency loading of media fragments from a segmented live media stream using clustered transfer coding, CTE, HTTP, wherein one or more fragments of a segment are ingested on a cluster-by-cluster basis before the entirety of the segment's media data becomes available; an Internet Protocol, IP, selective broadcast distribution network portion coupled to the media ingestion network portion, the IP selective broadcast distribution network portion configured to distribute media data in clusters to one or more IP selective broadcast recipients using an IP selective broadcast protocol; a part of the distribution network configured to distribute media data to a client in an HTTP CTE transfer session with an IP broadcast service recipient, the media streaming network comprising: - a media packaging device (202, 302, 402, 906) as defined in claim 5 or 6; - a source server (214, 306A, 306B, 404, 909) as defined in claim 15 or 16; - an endpoint node associated with an IP broadcast distribution network, comprising an IP broadcast receiver, the endpoint node being configured to perform the following operations: receive a message of IP broadcast information regarding the distribution of media data from a live media stream from an IP broadcast sender; receive IP broadcast transport objects from the IP broadcast sender, the IP broadcast transmission objects including the media data packets; order the Media data packets based on sequential payload ID information; generate media data clusters based on ordered packets; and responsive to receiving a channel request from a client via the continuous live media stream, serving the clusters to the client device.

Description

Description Field [001] The present description generally refers to communication networks. More particularly, and without limitation, the present description is directed to a network architecture, a system, devices and methods for facilitating the ingestion and distribution of low-latency media using reliable selective broadcasting over one or more fixed networks, wireless networks and/or any combination thereof. Fundamentals of the Invention [002] With the increasing data rates offered by fixed and mobile networks, streaming multimedia services are receiving wider distribution. Mobile video consumption is also exploding, given the ever-increasing number of smartphones on the market. In order to achieve streaming video, Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) and Session Description Protocol (SDP) for session setup and control, and Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) for real-time speech, audio, and video transport are widely used. To handle fluctuating bit rates in the transmission path, adaptive RTP streaming techniques are also used. However, it is well known that RTSP/RTP streaming has several shortcomings in network environments, including firewall traversal and Network Address Translation (NAT). [003] Adaptive streaming technology based on Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is being implemented to address growing consumer demands for streaming content (e.g., broadcast and on-demand movies/TV, etc.) across a variety of network infrastructures to subscriber stations with widely varying performance and protocols, in both managed and unmanaged network environments. Selective streaming over IP (Internet Protocol) is being pursued in both fixed and mobile network architectures to leverage economies of scale, as well as to address issues such as bandwidth, content protection, scalability, and reachability, in addition to achieving key performance indicators (KPIs), among others. While advancements in media distribution technology continue rapidly, several challenges remain, especially regarding live media distribution. Summary of the Invention [004] For adaptive live media streaming, it is desirable to reduce the overall end-to-end delay so that the media viewed by the end consumer is as close in time as possible to reality. Delays can be caused by several factors, all of which can contribute to the overall end-to-end delay in a streaming media network. For example, with respect to a live event, there is a delay component related to media capture, encoding, and processing. When media segmentation is implemented in an adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) architecture, there may be a loading delay when segments cannot be made available to server nodes until the segments are fully processed. [005] The present patent description is broadly directed to systems, methods, apparatus, as well as network nodes and associated non-transient computer-readable media for facilitating media distribution in a continuous media streaming network that includes a media ingestion network portion configured to provide low-latency loading of media fragments from a segmented live streaming media stream using HTTP cluster transfer coding (CTE). In one exemplary embodiment, one or more fragments of a segment are loaded or otherwise provided, for example, including but not limited to push, pull and/or hybrid triggered data transfer mechanisms, on a cluster-by-cluster basis, before the entirety of the segment's media data becomes available. An IP-based selective broadcast distribution network portion coupled to the media ingestion network portion is operational for distributing the clustered media data to one or more IP-based selective broadcast recipients using an IP-based selective broadcast protocol. In one embodiment, a client application is operational for transferring media data in an HTTP CTE distribution session with a service IP-based selective broadcast recipient. In another embodiment, a client application can be integrated with the functionality of the IP-based selective broadcast receiver, where appropriate API calls can be used instead of HTTP CTE to locate and load the media data. [006] In one aspect, a low-latency media ingestion method, including, for example, pull, push, etc., is described. The method comprises, among other things, generating, by a media packer node, a segmented continuous media stream from an input continuous media stream, wherein each segment comprises a plurality of fragments, each fragment comprising one or more media data frames, for example, audio frames, video frames, or a combination thereof. The segmented continuous stream is identified to be for distribution using IP selective broadcasting, and is associated with a particular IP selective broadcasting group. Optionally, a particular IP selective broadcasting protocol (e.g., NORM, FLUTE, FCAST, etc.) may be identified. An HTTP CTE session is initiated between the media packer node and an origin server node. This may be done by the media packer node, f